BREW NUMBER TWO - 101

Unperturbed by the possible shortcomings in our first brew - or perhaps in spite of them - the Beer Blokes have rushed headlong into the TWO BREW. Filled with a totally unfounded confidence in our brewing ability a second batch has been cast. A Pale Ale this time and it has certainly proven, in the early stages , to be of a markedly different nature.

Learning from the lessons of the first and, as yet, untasted Lager brew, we used a Cascade tin kit with the addition of 500gm light malt extract and 500gm brewing sugar. Having slightly ( read DOUBLE ) underestimated the total batch volume of the brews we are now well into a feverish quest to provide enough empty bottles to take the second batch before it ferments out. Did I mention that as a result of the type of brew, the temperature and the fact that we added the right amount of sugar, the TWO BREW seems to be fermenting at twice the rate of the first ? Sympathise with us, won’t you, as we attempt to keep ahead of natural forces. Liquid lunches, breakfast beer and four for the road, that sort of thing.

With a beginning Specific Gravity of 1046 it starts out a little ‘larger’ than the first (1040) and has certainly displayed a more noticeable aroma off the fermenter. Still haven’t seen a bubble come off the air lock so I guess those who advise against using this as a means of knowing when to bottle are on to something. By day four the S.G. is down to 1014 and day five to 1010 which, if it remains there, will give us an alcohol content of around 5.5%. Nice.

The raw brew looks, smells and tastes just like a Pale Ale - without the carbonation. A lovely citrus kick and a better than expected hop aroma leads me to hope that the finished, matured brew will be a winner.